Rope tightener



Aug. 17, 1937. KENDZY 2,090,005

ROPE TIQHTENER Filed July 6, 1936 Eigj CLASPS, ETC.

Patented Aug. 17, 1937 UNITED STATES OBHFUH. 1100 PATENT OFFICE 2,090,005 ROPE TIGHTENER Theodore A. Kendzy, Chicago, Ill.

Application July 6, 1936, Serial No. 89,095

1 Claim.

This invention relates to an improved rope tightening device adapted to take up the slack in a span or stretch of rope, such as a clothes line or the like, supported on clothes poles or stretched between any suitable supports.

It has been the bane of housewives, laundresses and persons who have to stretch ropes between supports to get the spans or rope tight enough so that they will not sag too much when articles are hung on the clothes line or rope.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved rope tightener of unitary construction, in a preferred form, adapted to be readily engaged on a stretched clothes line and then operated to r cause any slack in the clothes line to be taken up and wound on a portion of the tightener while an opposite end of the tightener is adapted to be removably hooked on the stretched clothes line to hold the line tightly stretched between the supports on which it is mounted.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a clothes line tightener adapted to be formed from heavy gauge rustproof wire to form a unitary construction consisting of an operating arm having a reel and an engaging finger formed on one end thereof while the opposite end is constructed to form a combination locking hook and handle.

It is furthermore an object of this invention to provide a tightening device for taking up the slack in clothes lines,- stays, guy ropes, flexible cables and the like, said tightening device combining a reel portion and a handle section constructed to permit the reel portion to be engaged on the rope while the handle section is operated to rotate the reel portion to wind up the slack, thereby tightening the rope and holding the rope in a tightened or stretched position by means of a locking member on one end of the handle portion and adapted to be lockingly engaged on the tensioned rope.

It is an important object of this invention to provide a clothes line tightening device of simplifled and improved form, preferably constructed of rustproof wire or metal to provide a unitary or one piece construction for eificiently taking up the 45 slack in clothes lines, stays, and the like, without requiring the supported ends of the clothes line or stay to be disengaged from its mounting.

Other and further important objects of this invention will be apparent from the disclosures 50 in the specification and the accompanying drawing.

The invention (in a preferred form) is illustrated in the drawing and hereinafter more fully described.

On the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side view of the rope tightener in an inverted position of the device.

Figure 2 is an end view of the device in its upright position ready for use.

Figure 3 illustrates a fragmentary portion of a clothes line or rope illustrating the top plan view of the rope tightener in its initial position of engagement with the rope preparatory to taking up the slack therein.

Figure 4 illustrates a top plan view of the rope tightener after it has been rotated through a complete revolution to wind up a portion of the rope on the reel portion of the device and showing the locking hook engaged over the tensioned rustproof wire or the like bent into shape to permit the device to be readily engaged on a clothes line or rope and operated for the purpose of taking up any slack in the rope without manually pulling the rope or undoing the supported ends thereof.

The improved rope tightener, in the form illustrated, is constructed of heavy wire which is bent into shape to provide a lever or arm I having integrally formed on one end thereof a twisted spool or reel shank 2. The twisted reel shank 2 has integrally formed on one end thereof a looped head 3, while at the opposite end of the reel shank 2 the wire material is bent to extend to one side and beyond the end of thearm I to form a finger or extension 4, the inner end of which where it crosses the end of the arm I forming a rope receiving recess 5.

The end of the arm I opposite the reel shank 2 is bent to provide an engaging or looking hook 6. The end of the hook 6 is bent around and then extends upwardly to form a loop 1 at substantially right'angles to the hook or loop 6. The end of the loop portion 1 is bent at substantially right angles to extend back across the arm I and substantially p'arallel to the hook 6 to form a stem or operating handle 8.

As clearly illustrated in Fig. 3, the reel or spool portions 2 and 3 project from one side of the arm I while the handle 8 projects over the arm I in a direction opposite from the loop 3 and substantially parallel thereto.

The improved rope tightener is adapted to take up slack in a span of clothes line or the like and is readily applied for use at any point between supported portions of the rope, clothes line or flexible cable 9. The first step in applying the rope tightener to the rope 9 is illustrated in Fig. 3 in which the arm I is projected beneath the rope with the engaging finger 4 projecting upwardly across the top of the rope as shown. The operator now merely engages the handle 8 to swing the arm I upwardly thereby causing rotation of the reel shank 2 to wind or loop the slack in the rope around the reel shank 2 as clearly illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, which show that the arm I has been rotated through a complete revolution from the position illustrated in Fig. 3. The slack having been taken out of the rope 9, the locking hook 6 is hooked over the tensioned rope 9 and holds the rope tightener locked in position with the slack in the rope taken up by the loop of the rope wound around the reel shank 2.

If the rope when first pulled in position between supporting posts or the like is fairly tight and needs only a slight amount of further tightening, the rope tightener is engaged in a position illustrated in Fig. 3 and is only rotated through onehalf a revolution, to take up the slack on the reel shank 2 and permitting the retaining hook 6 to engage the rope 9 from beneath the rope to hold the tightening device in position as illustrated in Fig. 6.

While the description of the operation is applied to a rope or clothes line, the rope tightener may also be conveniently used for taking up the slack in stays, guy ropes, flexible cables and the like. It will furthermore be understood that while the rope tightener is illustrated as being constructed out of heavy wire twisted into the required shape, that the rope tightener may be made out of metal strips or other suitable material. It will also be understood that the rope tightener may be formed by a stamping or a casting process if preferred.

It will of course be understood that various details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention and it is therefore not the purpose to limit the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the scope of the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

A rope tightener formed of a single length of wire providing an elongated arm twisted at one end to provide a loop extending from one side of said arm and bent to provide a finger extending upwardly and outwardly from the opposite side of said arm to define a rope-receiving crotch therewith, said arm being bent at its other end to define a latching hook having a handle extending across said arm and with its free end extending in a direction opposite to that of said loop.

THEODORE A. KENDZY. 

